What Is Going On With Joe Jackson?

Look, I’ll cut Joe Jackson a little slack as he is mourning the somewhat mysterious and sudden death of his son, legendary entertainer Michael Jackson (the greatest entertainer of my lifetime and arguably the best ever). But, I found it more than a little uncomfortable listening to him at the BET Awards and during a news conference today (flanked by the Rev. Al Sharpton) promoting his record label.

Sorry, but it just didn’t feel right.

Here is how one blogger saw it:

This is just awful. Earlier tonight CNN’s Don Lemon interviewed Joe Jackson on the red carpet at the BET awards, where Jackson displayed indifference over the recent death of his son and then plugged some Blu-Ray disc he’s peddling.

The Blu-Ray plugging comes in at about the 3:20 mark, but the whole thing is completely cringe-worthy right from the start and doesn’t stop until the very end. To his credit, Don Lemon maintained his composure throughout the interview and resisted what must have been an overwhelming urge to grab Jackson, slap him across his face a few times and shake him vigorously while screaming, “What the hell is wrong with you old man!”

That was painful to watch and listen to at the BET Awards and to listen to him in a press conference today (June 29).

Again, I will cut him some slack as this might simply be his way of grieving the stunning death of his son.

Remember the movie “The Jacksons: An American Dream” (from the early 1990s) that still plays once in a while on VH1? The portrayal of Joe Jackson in that movie looks too similar to the Joe Jackson we’re seeing today. Joe’s handlers might want to work with him a little more because, right now, Joe is not coming across well.

Frankly, it’s too early to discuss business ventures, protecting Michael’s legacy and promoting record labels.

Hopefully this merely is Joe’s way of grieving.

I know some people will think I am being tough on Joe Jackson. I just hate to see him come across the way he’s coming across (negatively).

Surprised To See Jesse Jackson And Al Sharpton Turn Up After Michael Jackson’s Death?

I will not even pretend to say I was surprised to see the Rev. Al Sharpton show up on television to be interviewed after the shockingly-sudden death of Michael Jackson, who was one of the great entertainers of all time. In the back of my mind, I was wondering when Rev. Sharpton would make his first appearance on the airwaves to have something to say about the life and death of Michael Jackson. But, then I began to wonder, when would the Rev. Jesse Jackson show up? It was not long before Rev. Jackson had shown up to essentially serve as spokesperson for the family of Michael Jackson. I could see the photograph that accompanied the Associated Press story with Rev. Jackson standing with Joe Jackson, father off Michael Jackson (that’s a lot of Jacksons).

I know a lot of people will come out and criticize Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton (both men certainly have earned their share of legitimate criticism over the years). I was hardly surprised Rev. Sharpton quickly found a television camera. But, perhaps Rev. Jackson might have been sought by the Jackson family or had offered to serve as a spokesperson for the Jackson family. To some extent, how his role came about as a sort of spokesperson for the Jackson family is a bit unclear to me.

While I know Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton both crave the spotlight (we’ve seen evidence of that over and over again), personally, I am going to give Jesse a pass on this one. I think, at least in this case, it appears Rev. Jackson is doing a noble deed for the family of Michael Jackson (even if he does get something out of it for himself: the spotlight he seems to enjoy).

If Jesse is able to bring the family of Michael Jackson a little comfort and support during this tragedy then I have no problem with it.